Oil Analysis - 1st oil change

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by R L Newb

On another note, my gas mileage plummeted for winter this year. I'm averaging 27 on highway! Old spark plugs, snow tires and winter weather adds up I guess...

Winter blend gasoline doesn't help either...

[tbrocato]

Been meaning to put this up...2nd UOA on the FR-S. I am sending in my 3rd sample this week and will post the results of it once I get it back.

[bluesubie]

Thanks for sharing and thanks for getting the TBN. Are you going to shoot for 7,500 mile intervals or just stick to 5k? I think the question on extending the interval would be whether or not the TBN drop-off will happen slow enough to remain at or above 1 with a longer interval.

Not much fuel either so that's very good! Hopefully copper will look much better on the next uoa.

-Dennis

[tbrocato]

Originally Posted by bluesubie

Thanks for sharing and thanks for getting the TBN. Are you going to shoot for 7,500 mile intervals or just stick to 5k? I think the question on extending the interval would be whether or not the TBN drop-off will happen slow enough to remain at or above 1 with a longer interval.

Not much fuel either so that's very good! Hopefully copper will look much better on the next uoa.

-Dennis

Dennis, this next sample I will be sending in has close to 5k miles on the oil. Depending on the TBN on this sample result I think I will go to 7.5k miles next. Also, for this sample I am about to send in Sustina 0w20 was used and my K&N air filter was installed. Will be interesting to see the results.


Currently in the car I am using Toyota 0w20...I think this may be the oil I will stick with for the long haul. I have barely burned any oil compared to Subaru 0w20 and Sustina 0w20. Driving habits have been similar.

[R L Newb]

thanks tb, i added it to the list. My oil change frequency is going to drop dramatically since I just moved and my daily commute went from over 100 miles down to about 40.

[tbrocato]

Originally Posted by R L Newb

thanks tb, i added it to the list. My oil change frequency is going to drop dramatically since I just moved and my daily commute went from over 100 miles down to about 40.

That's great bro...40 is way better than 100 I work in the oil field 14 days offshore / 14 days inshore...so for half the year I am not driving the car. I put around 12.8k miles on the car in a year.

[TallTerror13]

My trip to work is 5 whole miles, round trip! I've had my car for almost 5 months and I drive it every day, but I only have 2750 miles on it... how often should I change my oil?

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[getbent]

I think its 7500 miles or 7.5 months whichever comes first.

Originally Posted by TallTerror13

My trip to work is 5 whole miles, round trip! I've had my car for almost 5 months and I drive it every day, but I only have 2750 miles on it... how often should I change my oil?

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[SpeedyJay]

I changed mine at around 3000, I felt the engine break-in was finished and I drive the car pretty spirited. So I wanted to get any metal or anything else out of there. Engine was definitely a bit happier then with the factory oil.

[R2]

Here is the UOA for my second change. I used Toyota 0W-20 SN synthetic and a Subaru oil filter. Lots of varied driving, from daily driving for work/errands to auto-x.


The oil seems to be holding up ok, but the viscosity is a little lower than I expected. However, looking at other UOA's in this thread it seems in line with the Subaru oil.

[Pokeguyjai]

Second oil change at ~3000 miles. Swapped out Royal Purple and refilled with Royal Purple.

[bluesubie]

R2 - The viscosity of TGMO starts at 8.5 so this did take a little bit of a viscosity hit.

Pokeguyjai - Why the comments from BS about how you took the sample? What happened? Hopefully that explains the fuel and the less than ideal flashpoint and not a problem with your tune. I would be tempted to try a different oil grade. Like Royal Purple HPS 5W-20.

http://www.royalpurpleconsumer.com/p...hps-motor-oil/

No benefit in sticking with an API licensed oil with your mods, IMO.

-Dennis

[Pokeguyjai]

Originally Posted by bluesubie

Pokeguyjai - Why the comments from BS about how you took the sample? What happened? Hopefully that explains the fuel and the less than ideal flashpoint and not a problem with your tune. I would be tempted to try a different oil grade. Like Royal Purple HPS 5W-20.

http://www.royalpurpleconsumer.com/p...hps-motor-oil/

No benefit in sticking with an API licensed oil with your mods, IMO.

-Dennis

Hey Dennis,

Thanks for your insight.

About the sampling procedures which I did not follow: http://www.blackstone-labs.com/gas-sampling.php

I decided on the oil analysis after I took the sample. Blackstone advises to start the car and drive it around instead of idling it which introduces fuel into the oil. And to also take a sample from the middle of the drain. But I idled it until I got a reading from the oil temperature (at the bottom line) and did my oil change. Luckily the oil pan I used was new.

About the API oil, I have no idea what that is to be honest lol. I was thinking about going to a heavier oil since I do plan on doing track days this summer. But except for that, I have no idea. Any thoughts about a 5W-30?

[bluesubie]

API certified means the oil meets the specs in your manual. The current API certification is API SN and the current ILSAC specification is GF5. This is in your manual as well.

For cars under warranty, it's best to use an oil that meets these specifications. But when you turn up the wick, it's best to look into an oil that can handle it.

Before switching to a higher grade (weight) oil, I would use a more robust xW-20. RP forumulates their HPS oils with a little more ZDDP, their proprietary Synerlec additive, and non-API oils are also usually a little thicker than API oils. The number on the bottle doesn't actually tell you the viscosity since that number represents a viscosity range.

Royal Purple HPS Series motor oil is specifically formulated to maximize performance and meet the demands of high performance and modified engines. HPS is recommended for vehicles no longer under manufacturer warranty and for those seeking a higher level of performance and protection.
This unique blend enables HPS to outperform leading synthetics and conventional lubricants for both gasoline and diesel engines. Royal Purple’s HPS is fortified with a high level of zinc/phosphorus anti-wear additive and Royal Purple’s proprietary Synerlec® additive technology.

If you look up the API certified RP 5W-30 oil, it tells you that it meets the fuel economy requirements of a 20 grade oil. I would go with a xW-20 oil with a more robust additive package (like RP HPS 5W-20) over bumping up to a 5W-30.

A low coefficient of friction results in optimized fuel efficiency (the fuel economy of our 5W-30 meets the fuel economy requirements of a 5W-20 oil)...
...For those seeking enhanced performance in vehicles not under warranty, we recommend our HPS Series of high performance street motor oils with our proprietary Synerlec additive technology.

-Dennis